Tacoma NAACP, Urban League Join Coalition

Preserving and enhancing health in the urban environment is a crucial objective of this movement, and the Communities of Color for Climate Justice (CCCJ) coalition is thrilled to add two new member groups from Tacoma who’ll make this case strongly: The Tacoma Urban League and the Tacoma NAACP branch chapter.

Both organizations have a rich history of moving racial equity to the center of public policy.

This past September, working with CCCJ, the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy partnered with the Tacoma Urban League to organize a Climate Change Listening Session at their office. There, we heard community members express ideas for ways to reduce carbon pollution and improve the quality of life for historically disadvantaged communities.

Tacoma has some of the worst air quality in Puget Sound, especially near area freeways, . At the session it was clear folks wanted climate policy that cleans up such pollution hotspots and invests money from a fee on carbon pollution into local, sustainable economic development.

The Tacoma Urban League President is Tacoma City Councilwoman Victoria Woodards and the Tacoma NAACP Branch President is Gregory Christopher, who is the Reverend of Shiloh Baptist, one of city’s most widely attended African-American Churches.